Detachable heel



March 17, 1942. F. w. KELLEY 2,276,654

DETACHABLE HEEL 7 Filed March 12, 1941 (fizz -0 777g Patented Mar. 17, 1942 DETACHABLE HEEL Frederick A. W. Kelley, Providence, R. L, assignor of one-half to Robert Penington, Jr., Providence, R. I.

Application March 12, 1941, Serial No. 382,881

Claims.

My present invention relates to'shoe heels, and more particularly to a removable, detachable and interchangeable back heel portion.

It is a well-known fact that most people wear away the heels of their shoes unevenly. Most people wear down the outer rear quarter of the heel wearing surface such that the renewal of the heel is made necessary long before the other portions of the heel have received a normal amount of wear.

In my present invention, I have designed a removable back heel portion which may be removed from the rest of the heel and either interchanged with the other heel or renewed with a fresh member without disturbing the rest of the heel. In this manner-it is possible for the user to switch his rear heel members from right to left or left to right thereby obtaining a new wearing surface on the outer rear quarter of the heel. Of course, the reverse of this procedure can be had, as where the user wears down the inside of the heel instead of the outside.

The principal object of my invention is an improved detachable heel portion;

Another object is a detachable heel portion which is interchangeable from a right-hand shoe to a left-hand shoe or the reverse, and

Other objects and novel features comprising the construction and operation of my invention will appear as the description of the same progresses.

In the drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of the assembled heel;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the assembled heel, the dot-and-dash lines indicating a fragmentary portion of a shoe upper showing the rear portion of the outer sole of a shoe to which shoe heels are attached in conventional shoe design;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the heel taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the nails and other attaching means being shown in cross-section, other portions being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the rubber portions of the heel with the metal fastener members having been removed;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the forward portion of the heel with the fastening plate attached, the dot-and-dash lines indicating the outline of the removable portion of th heel which has been removed;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, the dot-and-dash lines indicating the removed portion of the heel and a fragmentary portion of the shoe upper and outer sole mem- Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 3 particularly showing the clincher member imbedded in the rubber portion of the removable heel portion.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Ill indicates a shoe upper with attached outer sole ll. Between the outer sole H of the shoe and the rubber portions of my heel I have located a metal plate l3 which is solidly attached to the shoe when in an assembled position, the upper surface of the plate I3 being in contact with the outer bottom surface of the outer sole adjacent the heel area. The front or throat portion M of the heel and the removable portion 15 contact each other on the line It, the upper surface of both pieces being slightly recessed at ll and E8 to receive the plate l3. The recess 18 in the removable member 15 is preferablyrecessed deeper in order to also provide for the plate l9 which is attached to the removable member l5 which will be described further along in the description. Fig. 4 shows these recessed areas in members l4 and Hi there also being a deeper central recess 20 and recess continuation 2! in the respective members I5 and I4.

The plate I3 is provided with cut out portions at 22 which are folded down, as viewed in Fig. 5 to form slide ways projecting into the recess 2| in the member [4. Also, the front edge of the plate I3 is cut back at 23 and folded under in the recess 2! to form a front slide way stop, as indicated at 24. On the rear portion of the plate I3 are similar cutout and folded down members 25 and 26. These folded slide way members 25 and 26 engage in the recesses which are located in the removable member l5 and below the sur face l8, as viewed in Fig. 4.

The plate I 3 is preferably cemented to the heel portion M for convenience in attaching to the outer sole H. Nails 29 pass through the rubber portion M and the holes 30 in the plate l3 and are clinched in the outer sole H in the usual manner.

In Fig. 3, I have shown the plate l3 partially cut away to better show the plate L! which is attached to the removable member l5. This plate I9 is shown in a developed plan view on a smaller scale and is provided with a plurality of clincher spurs 3I which are continuations of the body portion 32 and when in use are folded over, as shown in Figs. '3 and 8 being imbedded in the rubber portion of the heel member I5 preferably being vulcanized in place. Attached to the body portion of the plate I9 is a front tongue extension portion 33 which when the heel member I5 is attached to the plate I3 and front heel portion I4, slides in the slide ways 22 of the plate I3 and terminates in the front slide way portion 2 1, as shown in Fig. 3. In the body portion 32 of the plate I!) are provided openings 34 and 35. When the plate I9 is assembled with the plate I3, the folded under members 26 and 25 engage respectively with the back edges 35 and 31 of the respective openings 34 and 35 thereby locking the plate I9 and attached heel portion I5 to the plate I3 and attached heel portion I4. After the two heel portions have been assembled, as above described, a screw member 38 is inserted in the hole 39 of the removable heel member I5 passing up through the hole Allin the removable heel portion plate I9 and through the hole 4| in the plate I3 and finally secured in the outer sole II thereby preventing the heel portion I5 from sliding out of engagement with the plate I3.

When it is desired to remove, replace, or interchange a heel portion such as I5, the screw 38 is removed at which time the removable portion 1 I5 and plate I9 may be slid to the rear and disengaged from the rest of the heel and either interchanged with the one on the other shoe or replaced by a new member.

While I have shown my invention somewhat in detail it is to be understood that I may vary the size and proportions within wide limits without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. An interchangeable rear heel portion and a fixed front heel portion in combination with an outer sole of a shoe, a plate interposed between the said front heel portion and said outer sole, the said plate being attached to the said outer sole at its rear portion by means of nails passing through said plate into said outer sole, the

front portion of said plate and said front heel portion being attached to said outer sole by means of nails passing through said front of said plate and said heel portion into said outer sole, slide ways located in said plate inside of said front heel portion, tongues located in the rear portion of said plate, a rear heel portion plate attached to said rear heel portion having a front tongue engaging in the said-slide ways of said front heel portion plate and slots engaging said tongues, means for locking said rear heel portion and rear heel portion plate to said outer sole.

2. In a removableheel having a fixed throat portion and fixed plate attached to a shoe outer sole, the said plate having a slide way and tongue members, a removable heel member comprising the rear. portion of a complete heel, said removable portion having a front tongue engaging said slide ways and slots engaging said tongues and means for locking said removable member to said fixed member.

3. An interchangeable rear heel portion in combination with a fixed plate and heel throat portion, the said rear heel portion having a fixed plate engaging with the fixed plate of said throat portion and means for locking said plates together.

4. In a shoe heel having a fixed front throat and plate permanently fixed to a shoe outer sole and tongues and, slide ways formed on said plate. a removable back heel portion having a tongue portion engaging with said slide Ways and slot members engaging with said tongue members, a screwmember locking said back heel portion and said fixed plate to said outer sole.

5. In a shoe heel and outer sole, the said heel being formed from two portions comprising a rear removable wearing portion and a fixed front throat portion, a metal plate attached to said removable wearing portion, a plate member fixed to said throat and outer sole, interlocking means located on said plates and means for locking said plates, back heel portion and said fixed throat portion to said outer sole.

FREDERICK A. W. KELLEY. 

